User:James D. Johnson

I am presently active in avian research centered on carotenoids and the biochemical processes that are engaged in their endogenous oxidation to colorful pigments. Ornamentation is condition dependent and is probably strictly controlled by redox status in the cells in which the carotenoid oxidases/dehydrogenases reside.

I have earned the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemistry. In addition I hold a M.E. degree in Env Eng from the University of Florida as well as a Juris Doctorate from the University of South Dakota. I run an avian field station, having three large flight cages, in which dietary studies are conducted with finches in cooperation with the Biology department at Auburn University.

I have recently published a hypothesis paper in Free Radical Biology & Medicine, published in June of this year entitled "Do carotenoids serve as transmembrane radical channels?". I am currently working on a review article surveying Cytochrome P450s in the avian genomes.